“You’re finally joining me, after all these years,” the queen murmurs, her voice a seductive caress.
“I promised that if you found the sacrifice to strengthen our reign, I would reclaim you.” My heart shatters. He betrayed us? No, I refuse to accept that. My sweet, broken mirror man couldn’t do this. Plus, he’s in love with Erik.
“This has been a long time coming,” he declares, a shadow flitting through his gaze. I scrutinize him, realization dawning. “Let’s end this tonight. The full moon shines, and magic hangs in the air. It’s time to mold Frostmere into what it was always meant to be.”
The queen releases the knife from my throat, her gaze finding Eron’s. They share a kiss, one she presumably views as passion. He, however, seems utterly disgusted.Trust me,his eyes plead. I take a deep breath and affirm with a single nod. Trust is a fragile thing, earned through tenderness and loyalty.
Nash’s hand finds mine, his grip reassuring. He sees through the deception, too. I must cling to faith. But as hope flickers,a chilling laughter breaks the silence.“Naughty, naughty Daphne. You can’t control destiny.”Malice.No one else reacts. Can they not hear her? Everyone is still studying the queen and Eron.“They can’t hear me,”she confirms.“There’s only one thing for certain in this life, Daphne Stone. You cannot trust anyone. They will always let you down. Cut ties now, and your heart might survive. Wait for them to break it, and you will be left a shattered mess.”
My hand tightens in Nash’s.“That’s my risk to take,”I silently volley.
“He hasn’t even told you what he is. How is that trust?”
“He will in his own time. I trust them.”
“Then you have already signed your own death warrant. See you on the other side.”Then she’s gone, leaving me shaken in a room full of secrets.
Chapter
Thirty
The world snaps back into focus as the torches flicker to life once more, casting erratic shadows on the walls. My heart hammers against my ribs, my breath misting in the frigid air.
Eron betrayed us. Or did he?
Nash’s body tilts forward, poised for battle, the knights bracing for an inevitable fight. I don’t know what’s worse—the eerie silence stretching between us, or the expectation that something catastrophic is about to happen.
Theo lets out a low growl beside Nash. “No more games,” he mutters under his breath. His body stiffens, his pupils narrowing into slits.
The air around us crackles with a familiar, awesome raw power as Theo’s metamorphosis begins. I can’t decide if this is going to make things better or worse.
Scales, shimmering like precious gems, cascade over his flesh in a tumultuous wave, each glimmer reflecting the stunned faces surrounding him. His body stretches and contorts, defying the laws of nature as he grows larger and more formidable with every heartbeat. With a mighty roar, his wings erupt from hisback, unfurling like sails caught in a tempest, their vast expanse tearing through solid sheets of ice surrounding us.
The heavy table and chairs spiral through the air, caught helplessly in the whirlwind of his awakening. The sheer force of his change sends reverberations through the walls, and in that chaos, an undeniable sense of wonder fills the hearts of those who witness this breathtaking spectacle. This will never get old.
The ice warriors emerge from the frigid ground, towering figures of glistening frost and jagged ice, their imposing presence sending shivers down my spine. They raise their menacing spears towards us, each one reflecting the pale light, casting eerie shadows that dance around them. The atmosphere grows heavy with an otherworldly chill as the warriors stand sentinel, their crystalline skin shimmering ominously.
Theo’s roar shatters the tension, his golden eyes aflame with defiance against the encroaching terror. The Snow Queen recoils in fear, her breath hitching as she shields her face from his wrath.
A familiar burst of purple smoke appears at my side. “Wow, I can hear him all the way in my lamp,” the genie drawls, arms crossed as he surveys the destruction. “You could have avoided this with one teensy, tiny wish. Just saying.”
I groan. “Not the time.”
“Oh, I think it is.” He leans on an invisible counter, watching Theo smash an ice warrior into the wall. “See, if you had wished for, oh, I don’t know, instant escape, we’d be sipping hot cocoa in a safe house right now. Instead, here we are, mid-battle, while you’re ankle-deep in ice shards, trapped in a confined space with a dragon who is destroying the fixtures.” He tsks. “I’d hate to receive the repair bill.”
Right on cue, the stunning chandelier crashes to the floor.
Sir Sweeps-A-Lot springs into action—or rather, into frantic sweeping action, making me groan. “Not now, buddy. This isn’t the time for tidying.”
Theo’s enormous wings churn the air, sending shards of ice flying in all directions. His fiery breath surges down, engulfing the ice around our legs. It hisses and cracks, then shatters completely, freeing our feet.
Malachi lets out a whoop. “About damn time, Theo!”
Genie points at me. “That? That was just a demonstration of what I could’ve done instantly. But hey, you do you.”
Before the warriors can reform, the knights spring into action, snatching up the fallen ice spears scattered across the floor. Hart swings his new weapon in a swift arc, slicing through the nearest enemy, an evil grin forming on his face. “Not bad for an impromptu armory.”
Nash tosses a spear into Charming’s waiting hands. The Snow Queen growls and lifts her hands. “I’m not playing, Daphne. Are you willing to lose your loves for nothing?”
